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Six Figure Sum For Lady Who Suffered A Permanent Nerve Injury To Her Dominant Hand

Irwin Mitchell’s specialised clinical negligence team has helped a woman claim compensation after symptoms arose from a surgery that she had a number of years ago began affecting the use of her dominate hand.

Denise injured her wrist badly, severing a nerve, when she was five years old. The nerve was repaired and she recovered well. Years later she had carpal tunnel syndrome in the hand that responded well to treatment. She began to suffer pain and numbness in her hand. Denise went to the East Sussex Hospital for assessment. The surgeon recommended an exploration and decompression of the nerve.

After surgery Denise was left with almost complete numbness of her thumb, index and middle fingers and pain in her hand. It transpired that the surgeon had removed tissue at the site of injury at age 5, causing damage to her hand function. Denise had not been told that the surgeon intended to remove tissue from the wrist, nor had she been advised of the significant risks associated with this.

Denise had studies conducted to see if the damage could be improved. She was advised against further surgery as there was a risk that she would lose all function from the damaged nerve.

Denise decided to contact Irwin Mitchell’s specialised clinical negligence team and one of our experienced solicitors was able to deal with her claims. After negotiations the Trust admitted that there had been failures in relation to Denise’s case and the case settled for £110,000.

The compensation level reflects the extent of the injury to her dominant hand. Denise continues to struggle with the reduced sensation in her hand to this day, and will continue to do so for the rest of her life. As a result she requires assistance with aspects of her day to day living and has found it difficult to return to paid employment.